The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)

A documentary about Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman -- aka The Sherman Brothers -- the Academy Award and Grammy-winning songwriters.

Directors:

Gregory V. Sherman, Jeff Sherman (as Jeffrey C. Sherman)

Stars:

Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, Roy Edward Disney

Cast

Credited cast:
Julie Andrews	...	Herself
Jim Dale	...	Himself
Roy Edward Disney	...	Himself (as Roy E. Disney)
Micky Dolenz	...	Himself
Karen Dotrice	...	Herself
Samuel Goldwyn Jr.	...	Himself
Bruce Gordon	...	Himself
Sheldon Harnick	...	Himself
James Jensen	...	Himself
Jeff Kurtti	...	Himself
John Landis	...	Himself
Angela Lansbury	...	Herself
John Lasseter	...	Himself
Gavin Lee	...	Himself
Wendy Liebman	...	Herself

Storyline

A documentary about Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman -- aka The Sherman Brothers -- the Academy Award and Grammy-winning songwriters.

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Plot Keywords:

songwriter | six word title | apostrophe in title | colon in title | songwriting team | 

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Taglines:

Brothers, Partners, Strangers

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements, smoking images and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,632, 24 May 2009

Gross USA:

$55,513

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,513

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Crescendo Productions, Traveling Light Partners

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

[All trivia items for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Robert B. Sherman: [talking about Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers] She was such a witch.

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Crazy Credits

Two "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" clips are shown. One features Randy Newman trying to say it, and the other John Lasseter saying it backwards.

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Connections

Features Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

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Soundtracks

The Monkey's Uncle
Words & Music by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman
Performed by Annette Funicello
Courtesy of Walt Disney Records

User Reviews

Sugar Helped the Medicine Go Down: Sweetness Born of Pain

"The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story" is a terrific documentary produced by the sons of the famous composing team of Robert and Richard Sherman ("Mary Poppins," "The Jungle Book," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") about their fathers and their complex relationship.

Robert, for example, the older brother and "poet," who wrote so beautifully of sweetness and optimism, was in the very first group of GIs to liberate the Dachau concentration camp, which had a profound impact on him and his relationships, especially with his brother.

And how do these famous songs come about? When one of the composers' sons came home and said he had some sort of anti-polio treatment at school, the father assumed it was a shot and said, "That must have hurt." The son replied, no it was medicine he swallowed after they gave him a lump of sugar to take beforehand. Voila! The birth of the famous "Mary Poppins" tune, "A Spoonful of Sugar (Helps the Medicine Go Down)."

Fascinating stuff on so many levels, it will interest music aficionados, Disney fans, students of Hollywood history and even those who really know very little of these particular gentlemen.

Well worth your time.

And, Hollywood, if you're listening -- how about a movie telling their story? Terrific stuff.